Ignis
by Ziggymia123
Summary: I'm not sure how I got here, or how I'm going to get back home. I'm not sure if the people here are really who they say they are. I'm not sure if they'll protect me like they said they would or if they'll kill me. But I'm willing to trust them. For now.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Well, I've been a fan of Torchwood for a while now, and I finally got up the courage to write a fanfic about it. So... please be completely and brutally honest. I want constructive critism! If you don't like my writing, then please tell me why so that I can improve! : ) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood. Nope! Sorry! You'll have to go ask someone else. Also! I do not own Llewellyn. He is the product of the awesome Rachy Babes who was kind enough to let me borrow him for the time being. So thank you girl! : ) **

**Enjoy! **

"Run."

"Run!"

"Run, little girl! Run!"

I tried to block out the taunting voices as I ran, focusing instead on the pounding of my feet on the sandy beach. Llewellyn ran with me, his gait easy even when we were dead sprinting. He could have let me far behind by now, but he still stuck with me. It was the two of us until the end.

The sharp retorts of gunfire rang out overhead, kicking up the sand behind us. I yelped when my head was only missed by a few inches. Llewellyn growled low in his throat, the fire lion sparing a second to bare his teeth at our pursuers. They merely laughed at him.

The sand beneath our feet suddenly gave way, and the next thing we knew, we were falling. I tried to claw at the dry earth, but couldn't slow my fall. I landed hard, my breath leaving me in a loud whoosh. Llewellyn had landed next to me, his fiery mane and tail the only light in the dark cavern.

"Lou?" I whispered, causing my friend to look up at me with amber eyes that matched his coat. He meowed softly as I pulled him closer to me. "Don't worry. Everything's gonna be okay. I promise." He nodded, and nuzzled up against my shoulder. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Water began to drip down from above, hissing whenever it made contact with Llewellyn's mane or my skin. It wasn't rain. It didn't rain here on Ignite, thank the gods. A splash of water landed on me, ripping a howl from my lips. I tried to get away from the unending rain, but there was no coverage in the trap we had fallen into. Llewellyn whimpered as his mane started to die out, and that was enough for me.

"Stop!" I screamed, flinching as a drop of water hit my face. "Please! We'll be good!" The assault slowly stopped, the dry ground greedily soaking up the liquid that had pooled around us. I stood there shivering for a few minutes, steam rising off my body as I tried to warm up again. It was dead silence, and all I could see out of the small hole that seemed very far away was one of the six red suns. Our attackers didn't say anything, didn't do anything. Llewellyn leaned up against my leg, the fire from his mane quickly drying out the lightweight fabric. I rested one of my hands on his head, rubbing him behind his ears absentmindedly. But still there wasn't a sound. I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all.

"Bye bye, little girl," the voice sang as roaring reached our ears. Water burst through the side opposite of us, soaking the two of us in an instant. From the taste of it, it had to have come from the small (and only) sea a few yards away. They laughed as we screamed and tried to climb up the sides with renewed vigor. I finally had to pick the heavy fire lion up so he wouldn't be completely submerged. He was barely hanging in there, his fire sputtering out now and again.

"Stop this! Please!" I begged, quickly running out of options.

"Too late." My legs gave out, and the two of us sunk below the surface of the water.

_"I'm sorry Lou,"_ I thought dimly before my eyes slowly drifted close, and we settled down on the sandy bottom of our grave.

**Please, please, PLEASE review and tell me how I did! Should I continue, or stick to other fandoms? **

**Thanks for reading! **

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	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! : ) **

**First off, thanks to Rachy Babes for the review, favorite, alert, and note! : ) And thanks to Bad2Wolf2Mcgee for the review and alert! : ) I'm glad you both like this! **

**Quick notice, this take place after Season 2, but before CoE.**

**I do not own Torchwood or Llewellyn. I am not that awesome. I _do_ however, own our lovely protagonist and the plot.**

**ENJOY!**

I awoke to the warm crackling of fire. I could feel the flames flickering up my skin, the heat soaking in. I sighed happily, only opening my eyes when someone screamed, followed by the sound of breaking glass. I was in what looked like a house…. sort of. But houses aren't made of wood. They would catch fire almost immediately. And the furniture was strange. It was very… decorative and frivolous. I didn't see Llewellyn, or our attackers.

I heard another scream from above my head. Two floors in a house…. I was beginning to think that maybe I was dead and this was the afterlife or something. Stairs (I think that's what they were called) were right in front of me, completely blocked by roaring flames. I walked through them no problem, but needed to remind myself to not linger and bathe in the fire. I was strong enough for now just by absorbing the dry heat in the room. A young girl cried something from down the hall that I didn't catch.

_"Run, little girl! Run!"_ I shook off the echo of the voice, and ran towards the sound. The fire had blocked off her room, but I didn't understand why she just walked out of here. It was just fire. Our people are immune to its effects. But I quickly saw that she wasn't one of my people.

She looked about six, and was holding a stuffed animal that I didn't recognize. Her short, blonde hair was pulled back into pigtails, her face streaked with tears that glistened in the flickering light. But her eyes were the ones that told me that we were different. They were blue, bright, shining blue. The only colors the eyes the natives of Ignite could be was red or orange. Never blue. Was I dead? Did our attackers finally kill us? Or was this some sort of weird dream?

The girl's strange colored eyes went wide when she saw me, and quickly backed away as far as she could. She was afraid of me…. It never occurred to me what I must have looked like to her, my dark brown hair alight with the flames that danced across my body, my eyes a proud red. I must have looked like a monster.

"It's okay," I told her, "I'm not going to hurt you." The girl just pressed herself closer to the wall before shouting at me in a language I didn't know. Yes, this was definitely a dream of some kind. I concentrated, and snuffed the fire from my body. I shivered a little at the sudden cold, but at least now I looked somewhat like her. I held out a hand to her, and smiled gently. "Come on." She stared at me for a moment, before slowly reaching out to me. Her body temperature was a lot colder than mine, so I tried to her as far away as possible. If my body heat was uncomfortable, she didn't say anything.

It was rather easy to get her out of the burning house. All I had to do was concentrate, and I could make a pathway through the fire. The air was bitter cold when we finally made it outside, maybe eighty degrees or so. And it was humid. I could feel the moisture in the air sticking to me, making it hard to breath. I put the girl down on the green plant life, and stumbled back inside. I could hear a wailing in the distance, and more people shouting in that strange language. I let the flames cover me with their warmth, and closed my eyes.

By the gods, I was so confused. Where was I, and how did I get here? Where was Llewellyn? He was right next to me when I blacked out! Did our attackers take him? Did they put me in some drug induced hallucination? Or was I really somewhere else? Was I really on another planet? No, that was impossible. We were centuries away from that kind of technology. We only just found out that there were other planets a couple of years ago!

A loud banging on the door tore me out of my thoughts. A man was speaking in that language, followed by more banging. The fire was almost out; I had absorbed most of its power. I seriously debated running, but the memory of the air, and the moisture stopped me dead. The door burst open, and I scrambled back.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted at the man who came in, with what looked like some sort of primitive gun in his hands. He looked at me for a long moment before a huge grin broke over his face. I warily backed up another couple of steps.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he introduced, putting away his weapon, "You're certainly a long way from home."

**Please review, especially if you didn't like it for some reason! I am a woman of many talents, but I'm not a mind reader. (But that would be seriously awesome) **

**Thanks for reading! : )**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Happy Father's Day! : ) **

**Thanks Rachy Babes and Bad2Wolf2Mcgee for reviewing! And thanks silent readers for reading too! : )**

**Now, I'm not quite sure if I like this chapter, but it's the best I can get it. I hope you all like it!**

**ENJOY!**

Now, this Captain Harkness character is the only being I have met so far that spoke my language. Alright, so _maybe_ he was an alien. And _maybe_ he seemed to know a lot about me. And _maybe_ I really shouldn't have gone with him into the cold and humid air and into this weird vehicle. And _maybe_ he really didn't know anything about my missing fire lion. But he could understand me, and didn't shoot me on sight, so I figured that was probably a good sign. Worse comes to worse, I could always attempt to fight my way out of wherever we were going.

He turned up a heating mechanism as far as it would go as soon as he started up the vehicle. I smiled gratefully as the air began to warm up slightly, and tried to see as much of this new world as I could. Captain Harkness began talking quickly into a communicator in what I was beginning to assume was the native language. I tuned him out as I studied the people and structures.

The people of this planet looked a lot like the people of my planet, just more varied in appearance, and the climate didn't seem to bother them at all. The landscape was so… alien though. Almost everything was grey, and it seemed to suck the warmth and light out of the air. And when it wasn't grey, it was green with some sort of vegetation. There was little plant life on Ignite, so to see it flourishing here made me pause a little. I kept thinking that it was alien, but then it suddenly dawned on me. Everything I was seeing was normal here. I was the alien, the monster. And Llewellyn was out there somewhere. Hopefully.

"You shouldn't think so much," Captain Harkness said conversationally, "You give yourself wrinkles that way." I smiled briefly before glancing over at him. He seemed perfectly at ease. I envied him.

"Maybe I want wrinkles," I told him, keeping my voice serious. "And maybe I have a lot I need to think about." He nodded thoughtfully.

"Like?" he prompted. I bit my lip, and tried to turn the heat up farther.

"Llewellyn. I need to make sure he's okay," I finally said. "The last thing I remember… I just need to make sure he's okay."

"We'll keep an eye out for him," Captain Harkness promised, making me feel a little bit better. Which was stupid considering I only met the guy less then fifteen minutes ago. But there was something about him that just told me to trust him. And sixty percent of the time, I can trust my instincts. Gods, I hope that this is one of those times.

"Thank you," I said before looking out the window again. The rest of the time passed in silence until Captain Harkness finally slowed the vehicle to a stop inside of a structure.

"Here," he told me, handing over a small green ball. "It's a translator. You'll be able to understand the natives, and they'll be able to understand you. And it should withstand your body heat. Ideally."

"Ideally," I echoed, before pressing the ball into the side of my ear. "Comforting." He laughed, and climbed out of the vehicle. I quickly followed him, shivering a little, into a small wooden house of some kind. What was it with using wood as a building material here? It honestly made no sense to me.

"Welcome to Torchwood," Captain Harkness told me, pressing a button underneath a desk. "You understood that, right?"

"Yeah," I muttered distractedly as a section of the wall slid open. Well that was different. "A secret base? Really?" He shrugged, and led me down a series of hallways before coming to a large door. I waited patiently as he entered in the code (which I might have peaked at a little) and the door rolled out of the way, accompanied by alarms.

"Gwen Cooper," he said, pointing to a woman sitting at a computer. She had turned when the door opened, and smiled sweetly at me. I smiled back as Captain Harkness continued, "And that is Ianto Jones." I glanced over at a younger man in a suit. "Everyone, this is…" Oh… they expected a name. But I couldn't tell them my real name. I didn't trust them enough for that. So… was I supposed to lie?

"Ignis," I told them quietly, and to my relief, they all seemed to accept it.

"Jack said that you were looking for someone?" Gwen asked me. I nodded silently. She thought for a moment before turning back to the computer. "I don't think there was a second Rift spike…" I stood there awkwardly as Ianto pulled Captain Harkness to the side, not really sure what to do. After a few minutes, I climbed up by Gwen.

"A Rift spike?" I asked, my eyes not making any sense of the data on screen.

"There's a Rift in time and space that runs through Cardiff," she explained, "Sometimes, things, people, they fall through it."

"And that is what happened to me," I said, "That helps a lot. Thank you for explaining."

"You're welcome," Gwen said slowly, eyes searching my face for something. "I'm sorry, but I think you're the only one who came through." Her words hit me harder than I thought it would, almost like a physical blow. I had been holding onto the hope that Llewellyn had somehow made it to this alien planet as a life line, and I didn't even realize it. And if he wasn't here, then he was still in that gods forsaken hole that was meant to be our graves. And if he was there… No, I couldn't think about that.

"I was praying that you wouldn't say that," I finally whispered weakly. Gwen made me sit down, and I really didn't fight her on that.

"Why? What was happening when you fell through?" she asked. I didn't answer her, and just stared blankly at the grate that served as the floor.

"I promised him that I wouldn't let them hurt him," I mumbled to myself, "I promised him that everything would be okay." Gwen looked back over her shoulder before turning her attention back on me.

"Hey now," she said, "There's still a chance he's fine, right? I'm sure everything will turn out okay." Only then did I lift my eyes to hers.

"No," I told her bitterly, "He's dead."

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	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! : ) **

**Thank you Rachy Babes for reviewing, and MaryMatthesen for the review and alert! And thanks to any silent readers! I love you all. **

**Enjoy! : D**

I stayed at Torchwood for the next week or so while they figured out what to do with me. I believe staying here and setting up a house in some sort of desert were the current options. But I couldn't really find it in me to care where I went as long as they didn't kill me. I spent most of my time in a spare room that Captain Harkness had declared mine, and told me that I could do whatever I want to it. But apparently, he didn't expect me to light the whole room on fire. What? I needed a place where it would feel like home! It's not my fault he didn't think of the obvious! Poor Ianto though… wait, no. I was denying that he getting _slightly_ singed had anything to do with me. Forget I said anything!

Gwen kept trying to get me outside, and to experience this new world. I could usually make up a good enough of an excuse to keep me in the Hub. Occasionally, Captain Harkness would side with me, giving Gwen paperwork or something to do. He denied it, but I was grateful all the same.

Nights were the worst though. When I slept, I almost always dreamed, although sometimes I could swear they were memories. Memories about my family and friends on Ignite, both alive and dead. Memoires about Llewellyn, about the people who had attacked us. The memoires bled with fiction, and eventually… I couldn't tell the difference anymore. The night terrified me, and I had taken to drinking Ianto's amazing creation called steaming coffee. It was freezing cold, but _so_ good! And it had me bouncing off the walls. Ianto had to cut me off after the second cup.

And apparently, Captain Harkness doesn't need to sleep. We would spend a good portion of the night just talking about the most random things. And in the early morning hours, when I would finally fall asleep, he would carry me back to my room. The fire didn't seem to bother him much.

Life had fallen into comfortable pattern of sorts. Get up, make myself something to eat, go out into the Hub and see if there was anything to be done, eat, argue with Gwen about going out, help Ianto with coffee deliveries, take any unneeded paperwork back to my room for fuel, try a new type of Earth food, drink coffee, stay up as late as possible, dream, repeat. When Torchwood got a call about something called a Weevil, I stayed behind, and held down the fort. Slowly, talks about moving me to a desert fell away, and two months after I first met the team, I was invited to stay in Cardiff. I accepted.

_Ignis_

"Ignis! Are you sure you don't want to come?" Captain Harkness asked me as the rest of the team prepared to go out to a bar that they liked. I was old enough by Earth standards to drink, but I never liked the taste of it.

"No, I'm good, Captain Harkness," I told him from my spot on the couch.

"I told you to call me Jack," he reminded me as I grinned up at him.

"I know." He laughed like he always did, and the three of them went out the revolving cog door. I sighed happily at the silence before getting up to heat myself some leftover pizza. I wandered over to the Rift monitors as I waited for it to warm up, idly checking the readings. Everything was normal except for some left over traces of energy from when some artifact fell through that morning. The timer for my pizza dinged, and I hopped over the railing to get it. I couldn't have taken three bites when the Rift alarms shrieked to life.

"Please let it be another artifact," I begged, running over to check the screen. "Just please don't be an alien." I grabbed a comn, and was about to call the team when an image from one of the cameras popped up on screen. The Rift opened up, spilling out the swirling golden energy. It couldn't have been open for moment before something fell through, landing with a heavy thud. I took one look at the golden soaking wet huddle, and was out the door without calling anyone. Thank the gods I knew where it had opened up.

_Ignis_

"So I tell him that 'yes that is indeed my baby.'" I heard Captain's Jack voice and the rest of the team's laughter the next morning just as I reappeared from my room. I hadn't slept at all last night, and it must have shown on my face.

"Ignis, are you okay?" Gwen asked, rushing over. I grinned at her, and giggled.

"Did you touch any of the alien tech?" Captain Harkness asked cautiously.

"Nope! But the Rift opened again while you guys were out," I told them happily.

"Alright, I'll bite. What came through?" Captain Harkness asked. I was about to answer when the door to my room opened up.

"Is that…" Ianto trailed.

"Torchwood, this is Llewellyn, also called Lou. Lou, this is Torchwood," I introduced as the fire lion sleepily opened his eyes. He roared happily when he saw me and pounced, knocking me to the ground. I giggled again as he snuggled into me, and I burned my face in his mane.

"Lou is a fire lion," I heard Gwen slowly say, "They're harmless, right?" Llewellyn picked up his head to look at her before snorting.

"He is completely harmless as long as you don't try to hurt me or him," I told her, pushing my friend off of me so I could sit back up. "He can stay here, right?" I asked, looking up at Captain Harkness. He hesitated for a moment, and I thought for sure that he would say no.

"Fine. He can stay." I whooped as Llewellyn jumped up on the Captain and licked his face. "But I hope you don't think I'll help take care of him!"

"Wouldn't dream of it."

**I absoultely adore Lou, and would never kill him off... *Cough, Cough* ; ) Hehe**

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	5. Chapter 5

**Ello!**

**First off: the thank yous! : ) Thanks bad2wolf2mcgee, Rachy Babes, and TorchwoodDoctorWhoFan for reviewing, and for TorchwoodDoctorWhoFan for adding me to Author Alert! : D Virtual cookies and chocolate for all! : D Seriously though, thank you. You make me want to keep writing!**

**Enjoy! : )**

Llewellyn refused to leave my side, no matter where I went. And I honestly didn't mind. He was alive, and we were together again. Most importantly, we were safe. I still had the nightmares, but they weren't as bad anymore, thank the gods. I think Lou scared them away.

Gwen still wanted me to get out and about, so I finally agreed, as long as the weather wasn't too cold. Lou had to stay behind at the Hub, which he wasn't very happy about, and Gwen had to stay with me at all times (Captain's Harkness' orders. I didn't exactly agree with him.) Oh, and I had to wear contacts. Which are the most annoying, uncomfortable things in the entire universe. After water of course. But it wasn't normal for humans to have red eyes, so I had to deal with it.

"So what are we going to do?" I asked as we got into the SUV.

"Shopping, eating, girl stuff," Gwen told me, and I had to smile.

"Girl stuff," I echoed.

"Yes, girl stuff."

The one, yellow sun was high in the cloudless blue sky when she finally stopped in front of a large, grey building. Humans of all shapes, sizes, and colors were streaming in and out of the large glass doors. I glanced in one of the SUV's side mirrors, and smiled slightly when my appearance matched theirs.

"So we're going shopping," I said as we neared the building. Gwen nodded, and took out a small rectangle made of plastic.

"With a basically unlimited budget," she said, a mischievous smile making its way to her face. I grinned, but it quickly faded as we stepping inside. It was cold in here! Like seventy degrees cold! I shivered violently, and ran back outside.

"Give a girl a little warning next time!" I hissed when Gwen rejoined me.

"Sorry!" she apologized quickly as I shook off the remaining chill. "Maybe we should postpone the shopping…" I shook my head.

"No. I'll be okay. Just let me try something." I bit my lip, before hiding behind the SUV. A few moments later, I got small licks of flame jumping off my fingertips. I let the fire spread over me and sink down below the surface of my skin. Gwen watched me curiously as I reappeared from behind the SUV.

"Okay. I'm good now," I told her with a weak smile.

"Are you sure?" she asked as I walked back over to the building.

"No," I admitted before pushing the door open. The freezing air hit me, and I brought the fire closer to the surface of my skin. "Yeah, I should be okay." Gwen laughed, a happy, surprised sound, and dragged me further inside. I grinned. This should certainly be interesting.

_Ignis_

"No one needs this many clothes!" I laughed as we loaded the bags in to the trunk a few hours later.

"Probably not," Gwen agreed, "But it's still fun." I couldn't argue with that.

_Ignis_

I giggled a little as Gwen tried vainly to stop her ice cream from dripping onto her hand. Eventually, I handed her a napkin to mop the mess up.

"I don't think that's the best invention mankind has ever made," I told her, looking around the small park we had wandered over to. The good weather (well, good for Cardiff) had certainly brought out the crowds.

"No! Ice cream is great!" she argued, "… When it isn't making a mess." I laughed at that, and nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright. I'll give you that one."

"So… how's taking part in human society?" she asked me curiously.

"Different," I said after a moment, "Really, really different. On Ignite… it's everyone for themselves. You can't count on anyone to help you, not even your family. You become very self-reliant at a young age, or you don't get old. But here… you _have_ to rely on other people. It's brilliant!"

"So back home… it's only you and Lou?"

"Yeah. It's just the two of us. When I was younger, I looked after this guy, Pyro, but… I got screwed over. When I finally… when I got my life back together, I found Lou, and we've stuck together since."

"Do you trust us?" Gwen asked after a long pause. She seemed to have a little difficulty processing what I had told her.

"Is there a reason why I shouldn't?" I countered quickly, trying to discreetly avoid the question.

"Ignis, you-" a loud boom interrupted her, making me jump at least a foot off the ground.

"What was that?" I demanded, not liking the black clouds that were sliding across the sky. I could feel the temperature dropping, and the humidity rise.

"Thunder," she told me quickly, "Come on. We need to get you back to the car." I jogged after her, flinching a little when thunder clapped again.

"And what's that?" I asked, just in time for a bright light to flash, momentarily blinding me. Thunder followed a second later. I quickly got my answer as I saw a single raindrop fall in front of me.

_Water began to drip down from above, hissing whenever it made contact with Llewellyn's mane or my skin. It wasn't rain. It didn't rain here on Ignite, thank the gods. A splash of water landed on me, ripping a howl from my lips. I tried to get away from the unending rain, but there was no coverage in the trap we had fallen into. Llewellyn whimpered as his mane started to die out, and that was enough for me. _

I felt my breath quicken, and soon I was flying past Gwen. Rain! Of course! There had to be rain! Another flash blinded me, and thunder deafened me, signaling the oncoming downpour. The rain fell harder now, faster, hissing when it came into contact with me.

I made it to the SUV long before Gwen was even in sight. I tugged at the handle desperately, but it was locked. I felt like screaming, and almost did as the rain began to come down in sheets.

_"Bye bye, little girl," the voice sang as roaring reached our ears. Water burst through the side opposite of us, soaking the two of us in an instant. From the taste of it, it had to have come from the small (and only) sea a few yards away. They laughed as we screamed and tried to climb up the sides with renewed vigor. I finally had to pick the heavy fire lion up so he wouldn't be completely submerged. He was barely hanging in there, his fire sputtering out now and again. _

_"Stop this! Please!" I begged, quickly running out of options. _

_"Too late." My legs gave out, and the two of us sunk below the surface of the water. _

_"I'm sorry Lou," I thought dimly before my eyes slowly drifted close, and we settled down on the sandy bottom of our grave. _

Finally, I heard the SUV beep, and I yanked the door open, slamming it behind me. I was shivering violently again, my breaths coming in quick gasps. The rain had brought up a memory I would rather stayed deeply buried. I curled up into a small ball as I waited for Gwen to join me. But by the time she climbed in, I had passed out.

**Please review! Especially if you didn't like it for some reason! ^^ **

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! **

**Thank you Rachy Babes and bad2wolf2mcgee for reviewing, and thank you Lady Valeria for the story alert! : D**

**I really like this chapter, and the next one is really fun to write so far... Hehe **

**ENJOY! : D**

I woke up in my room, Llewellyn curled around me protectively. I blinked away my disorientation as I slowly sat up. Someone must have carried me in.

"Hey Lou," I said softly, the fire lion looking up at me. He purred as I scratched behind his ears. "You wanna head out?" A small smile tugged at my lips when he just curled around me tighter. "I'm guessing that's a no. I suppose I could sleep for a little longer…" He snorted, and pushed me over with one of his paws. "Hey! What did I do? You know what? I think I'm just going to leave!" Llewellyn huffed, but followed me out into the Hub.

"You're awake!" Gwen said when she caught sight of me, a relieved smile on her face.

"Yeah. It'll take more than a little rain to stop me," I told her, laughing a little when Ianto promptly handed me a cup of coffee. "Thank you, good sir!"

"Good to have you back, Ignis," he told me, handing Gwen her coffee.

"Okay… you're acting like I've been missing for a year or something," I said slowly, "How long was I out for?"

"Two weeks," Captain Harkness said offhandedly, leaning against the door to his office. I almost dropped my coffee.

"Two weeks?"

"Lou wouldn't let anyone near you, but we figured that you'll be fine as long as you were in fire," he told me, "Can't say you didn't give us a scare though. No more trips for a while. Understood?"

"Yes sir," I nodded. Llewellyn growled his agreement, pushing into the back of my legs a little. "But trust me, I'm not really eager to get caught in the rain again."

"Good," Captain Harkness nodded, before disappearing back into his office.

"So what did I miss?" I asked Gwen and Ianto, taking a sip from my now slightly chilly coffee.

"Weevil," Ianto said with a shrug, "It's been rather quiet."

"Oh, and we have an inspection of some sort in five days," Gwen added, "Someone from UNIT, or one of those places."

"It's UNIT," Ianto told me, "Hopefully Martha."

"It would be nice to see her again," Gwen agreed with a small smile. I just nodded, having no idea what they were talking about.

_Ignis _

UNIT. The acceptable face of alien capture/contact/knowledge/technology/a bunch of other things. And this Martha person wasn't the one preforming the inspection. I was pretty scared, to be completely honest. I wanted to go hide somewhere in the depths of the Hub, but Captain Harkness wouldn't let me. He promised that nothing would happen to me or Lou. I wasn't quite sure if I believed him.

Lou was curled around my feet as I did busy work at my computer. Nothing too important, just paperwork that stated that the Rift was absolutely quiet. I wasn't sure if I could handle anything bigger right now. I couldn't focus, and kept typing the wrong thing. I hope Captain Harkness didn't mind a lot of typos…

We both tensed as the cog door rolled open with the accompanying alarms. I glanced over to see a man following Ianto into the Hub. The stranger was dressed in some sort of uniform, complete with a red cap. He was a little shorter than Captain Harkness, but just as fit. The greying hair that I could see was cropped sort, and his dark eyes were hard, cold. I guessed his age to be at least fifty.

"Colonel Peterson," Captain Harkness greeted stiffly.

"Captain," the stranger acknowledged.

"This is Ianto Jones, Gwen Williams, Rose Burns, and Llewellyn," Captain Harkness introduced. I frowned slightly as I stood up to join the rest of the team, Llewellyn close behind. Rose Burns? Oh, that's right. We were going to pretend that I was a human. That's why I was wearing my contacts.

"You have a fire lion?" the stranger asked.

"Yes sir," I answered, beating Captain Harkness to it. He sent me a quick disapproving look as the stranger looked me over. "Is that a problem?" I think everyone relaxed when the stranger laughed.

"Rose Burns, correct?" I nodded, feeling Llewellyn tense up further beside me. "No, your pet should not be a problem. Captain Harkness, I believe you were going to show me around?"

"Of course. Right this way, Colonel Peterson." Llewellyn glared at the two men as they past, only relaxing when they were out of sight.

"I don't like him," I whispered, and both Ianto and Gwen smiled.

_Ignis _

"Captain Harkness?" I asked, quietly knocking on the open office door. "I have those reports for you."

"Thank you, Rose," he told me with a warm smile, and I walked in to hand them to him. Colonel Peterson was sitting across the desk from Captain Harkness, and was watching me carefully.

"Ms. Burns?" he asked just as I was about to leave. Captain Harkness' eyes shot to him.

"Yes sir?"

"I was curious… did Llewellyn come through the Rift?" I nodded silently. "And you were born here on Earth, correct?" Again, I nodded. "I ask because UNIT has received a transmission from the planet Ignite, where Llewellyn would have originated from. Apparently, a terrorist by the name of Ember and her fire lion have escaped through the Rift."

"Lou's a terrorist?" I asked him, forcing myself to laugh a little. I felt Captain Harkness' eyes on me, but didn't look at him. Colonel Peterson watched me for a long moment before smiling tightly.

"A woman hasn't come through the Rift lately?" he asked, the question directed at Captain Harkness. "The government of Ignite has requested that Ember be captured and handed over as soon as possible. From what I understand, she assassinated the President."

"No. Only Llewellyn came through," Captain Harkness lied, and I slowly let out the breath I had been holding. "Are they sure she came to Earth?"

"Yes, they're sure," the Colonel sighed.

"Umm… will that be all?" I asked.

"Yes, Rose. Thank you," Captain Harkness told me. I nodded, and tried not to run out of there. I caught Llewellyn's eye, and headed back to my room. I couldn't stay here, that much was for sure. My fire lion walked in a few minutes later as I finished packing up my meager belongings that I had acquired in my months here.

"Hey Lou," I said softly, bending down to hug him tightly. "We got to go." He looked at me sadly as I took one more look around the room, and led him out the door. I didn't glance back towards the Hub as I walked calmly out the back door, and disappeared into the night.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Ello again! How are you on this fine day? (Yeah, no idea, let's move on! : D) **

**Thanks Rachy Babes for reviewing! : D I'm still very nervous, by the way!**

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It rained only two hours after we began running. We didn't take a SUV, they could track those, and I didn't know how to hotwire a car. So, we had settled for running. But after a few drops fell, we had to take cover somewhere. A parking garage was the closest, and we stayed on the empty level near the top. As long as we stuck towards the middle, we were fine.

It was cold, though, freezing. And as much as I hated doing anything to draw attention to us, I had to make a fire. I kept it low and small, but made it hotter than it absolutely had to be. Small, creature comforts. I could almost image I was back home.

I laughed dryly at the thought, causing Llewellyn to glance over at me. Home. Ignite certainly was not my home. For a while, I thought maybe Torchwood was but… There were too many lies now. Even if I hadn't run, there would be no way to explain them all away. They would hand me over to Colonel Peterson, and I would be shipped off to Ignite. I shuddered, but it wasn't from the cold. No, running was the best choice. It was the _only_ choice.

But if that was so… why did I need to convince myself that I was doing the right thing?

Llewellyn growled suddenly, tearing me from my brooding. I slowly got to my feet to two shadows began making their way towards us. One of them was small, smaller the Lou, the other about my height. When the light from the fire hit them…

"Can we stay by your fire?" the little girl asked quietly, light brown curls covering her face as she peeked out from behind her older brother. She couldn't have been older than nine years old. Her brother, no older then fifteen.

"Yeah," I told them, sitting back down. Llewellyn watched them for another moment before tentatively walking over. The little girl giggled as he licked her face, her green eyes full of wonder. I smiled gently as they sat down, the girl's arm wrapped tightly around the fire lion.

"Thanks," the dark-haired, green-eyed boy said, "I'm Thomas, and this is my younger sister, Rachel." I hesitated for a moment before responding.

"My name's Ignis, and well, you've met Llewellyn." Rachel nodded enthusiastically as she began petting her new friend. I laughed a little as he began to purr. "I think he likes you," I told her.

"Really? You really think so?" she asked me excitedly. I nodded, trying unsuccessfully to keep the grin off my face. Thomas watched his little sister for a few more moments before turning to me.

"Thanks again, really. I haven't seen her this happy in years."

"No problem," I told him, trying to shrug it off. "She shouldn't be out her like this though. Are you guys alone?"

"Yeah," he said shortly, "Parents died about five years ago. We've been on the streets for a couple months now."

"I'm sorry." Thomas shrugged, and didn't answer. I bit my lip for a moment before sighing. Gods, this was so stupid, but I would hate myself if I didn't do anything. I took out the small amount of money I had, and pressed it into Thomas' hand. He looked at me wide-eyed as I explained, "Have you ever heard about Torchwood? Good. Do you know how to get to that general area? Excellent. I want you to head to the tourist office by the bay, and wait there until someone comes. Tell them… tell them what happened to you. They'll help you out. And… tell them that Ignis says she's sorry, but this is better for everyone."

"You used to be Torchwood?" he asked when he managed to stop gaping. I nodded slowly.

"Yeah, for a few months."

"What happened?" I bit my lip again as I watched Rachel and Lou play for a minute or two. "Sorry for asking."

"I lied about a few things, well, I didn't really lie as much as they never asked so I never said anything. And then other people, people who are considered _important_ lied about a lot of things. Basically, it's a big mess," I finally said, my words tumbling out in a rush, "But these guys at Torchwood, they're good people. I just made some bad mistakes."

Thomas nodded, and we had to stop talking when Rachel skipped over and began gushing about her new friend. The rain didn't let up, and eventually we all just fell asleep at the parking garage. It was safe to go out in the morning, and I made sure Rachel and Thomas were on their way before melting back into the shadows. Llewellyn and I hitched a ride on the back of a produce truck, and soon we were heading out of Cardiff.

_Ignis_

Ianto was manning the desk at the tourist office when the door opened up.

"Sorry, we're closed…" he started before he looked up to see two kids.

"Torchwood?" the boy asked, "This _is_ Torchwood, right?"

"Ignis said that you would be able to help us!" the younger girl chimed in.

"Ignis?" Ianto asked, "You saw her?"

"Yup! The girl with the pretty lion! She helped us!"

"Rachel!" the boy hissed, and she quickly stopped talking.

"Did she tell you where she was going?" Ianto asked them desperately, "Please, it's very important." The boy looked at him for a long moment.

"All she said to tell you was that she's sorry, and that this is better for everyone." He hesitated before adding, "And that she made some bad mistakes, but she isn't the only one who lied. Look, we don't know what's she done, but she isn't a bad person."

"She and Llewellyn are _angels!_" Rachel told him quietly, "I prayed that we would get help, and then they came!" The boy rolled his eyes, but smiled down at her.

"My name's Thomas by the way," he told Ianto. Ianto nodded, and opened up the door that led to the Hub.

"I think Jack will want to talk to you." _And Colonel Peterson,_ he added silently.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! : ) **

**Thank yous first: Thanks to Rachy Babes and bad2wolf2mcgee for reviewing! And thanks to everyone who has read this so far! : D **

**A slightly shorter chapter with no Ignis or Lou this time around. But we'll get back to them next chapter. **

**ENJOY! : D**

Rachel really didn't like Colonel Peterson. He was making it seem like their guardian angels were monsters! He was saying that Ignis had lied to them! And then he had ordered her and Thomas to be split up! But Thomas had told her to not say anything, so she settled for glaring at him whenever he came into the small room she was in. As far as she was concerned, the only good part was when the man in the fancy suit gave her a cup of hot chocolate.

"Miss Daniels!" Colonel Peterson snapped when she didn't answer another one of his questions. "I don't believe you're aware of how much trouble any of you are in." She noticed that he glanced over at the woman, Gwen, when he said that. Rachel frowned slightly. Why was Gwen in trouble when she had been nothing but nice to her! Gwen had promised that when all this was cleared up, Torchwood would help her and Thomas.

But Thomas said to not say anything, so Rachel stayed silent. In her head, she imaged yelling at Colonel Peterson about how unfair and mean and stupid he was being. After a few more minutes though, he gave up, and left the room. Gwen gave her a small smile before following him, and Rachel knew that she had done the right thing for her and Thomas' guardian angels.

_Ignis _

Thomas now knew that taking Rachel here had been a very bad idea. Not that it was Ignis' fault. These people just couldn't help them, not with Colonel Peterson around. That man had somehow taken over Torchwood, and none of the three members appreciated it. Jack had out right told him not to cooperate, and Thomas had passed it along to his sister. God, he hoped that she was keeping her mouth shut.

He rolled his eyes when Colonel Peterson came back into the room for the third time, Jack close behind. The first man was holding a folder though. That was something new.

"Aww… did you get me a present?" Thomas drawled, "How sweet." The corners of Jack's mouth twitched upwards, and Thomas grinned. But it faded when Colonel Peterson also smiled a little. He opened the folder and took out one photograph. He slid it across to Thomas.

"There's your _guardian angel,_" Colonel Peterson mocked when Thomas looked up from the photo. It was grainy, and a little blurry, but there was no doubt who was the subject matter. Ignis was splattered in some kind of black liquid, a weapon in her hand. Fire was leaping around her, but it didn't bother her in the slightest. Half covered by flames was a body with more of that black liquid spilling from a fist sized hole in his chest. Captain Harkness stood up a little straighter when he saw it, and Thomas swallowed thickly.

"Screw you," he said simply, shoving the photo away. Colonel Peterson's jaw twitched a little as he watched it flutter to the ground. "Ignis said that she has made some mistakes, but she wasn't the only one who lied," Thomas continued, "So you might want to check your sources." Jack gave him a little nod behind Colonel Peterson's back, and Thomas felt a little better. Colonel Peterson was lying, trying to get a rise out of him. Nothing more. God, Thomas hoped that was true.

_Ignis _

"Neither of those two are going to talk," Gwen said, her tone hushed, and her two co-workers agreeing. Colonel Peterson was currently on the phone with UNIT, but none of them knew why.

"What's the political situation like on Ignite?" Ianto asked, "Is there even a President?"

"The question is _when_ are we talking? Ignis said that they only just discovered that there were other planets outside her solar system, but we have representatives here that traveled in a pretty advanced ship," Jack said. "If Ignis is telling the truth, then no it was total anarchy and has been for thirty years already. But if she was lying…"

"Rachel and Thomas seem pretty convinced," Gwen told them, glancing at the CCTV. Rachel was fiddling with a strand of her hair, her mouth moving with silent words. It almost seemed like a prayer. Thomas was just staring at his hands, worrying a hole into his bottom lip.

"And Ignis managed to somehow completely integrate herself here," Ianto pointed out slowly, mentally kicking himself as he did, "I don't know Jack. Maybe UNIT's right on this." Jack didn't say anything for a long moment, just watched the CCTV.

"The first thing she did after she fell through the Rift was to save a little girl's life," he finally said, "She didn't know where she was, or how to speak the language, but she saved her life. Now, I don't know about you, but that doesn't exactly scream terrorist to me." Jack turned to look at his team. "And terrorists don't usually apologize for their actions. I don't think she did it. And we're going to prove it."

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	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks Rachy Babes for reviewing! : D**

**And hello everyone! Here's another chapter for you, and possbily one later on too! : ) **

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Lou and I hopped off the produce truck, and found ourselves in a warehouse of some sort. We ducked behind some crates as guys came and began to unload the truck. We were out the door, and outright running first chance we got. We hung out around the edges of the town, staying in the trees. It was small, smaller then Cardiff. I wasn't sure of the name, but hopefully it was just a random town. We should be able to stay here for a few days while I figure out what I had to do.

I had given all my money to Thomas, so I couldn't find anywhere to stay. In hindsight, that was a very bad idea, but right now, I honestly didn't care. Lou and I could rough it for the next few nights, providing it didn't rain. But even then the trees should be able to protect us.

I slid to the ground, my back against the largest in the small woods we were hiding in. Llewellyn curled himself up next to me, and promptly fell asleep. I silently envied him, my mind far too busy to even hope about drifting off. We were stuck, and I needed to get us safe. A couple of weeks ago, I would have called Captain Harkness or Ianto or Gwen for help, or even advice. I actually reached for my cell phone, only to realize I had ditched it a couple of miles back. I had grown too soft, too dependent on other people. And look where that had gotten me. Hiding in some random wood outside a random town with no money, no weapons, _nothing_ like I was some stupid criminal!

I banged my head hard against the tree to get my focus back. Feeling sorry for myself would not solve anything. I needed to think about this logically. I needed to stay out of sight, and out of Torchwood and UNIT's radar. I needed a plan.

There were deserts on Earth. If Lou and I were going to survive on our own, that would be the best place to go. Now, the only problem was getting there. We were on an island, surrounded by water. We needed a vehicle to get across to mainland Europe, and after that we would be basically free. Yes, get to the coast, hijack a vehicle, and get to mainland Europe. I grinned as the sun slipped past the horizon, plunging the world into twilight. We had a plan.

_Ignis_

I was right about not getting any sleep that night, and I smiled tiredly as the sun poked its head up over the horizon. Llewellyn was still sleeping as I stood up to take another look at the town. It was just started to awake for the day, and the streets were still quiet. Maybe I could go in and scout it out a little, learn where we were exactly. I nodded satisfied. Yes, that would work. Later though, when the shops opened up. I reached up to make sure my translator was still in its place in my ear. I had considered ditching it too, but it was just too invaluable. If they tracked me by it, then I would just have to fight.

Llewellyn woke up with a loud yawn before blinking sleepily at me. He stretched as he stood, and made his way over to me.

"Morning," I told him softly, scratching his head. Lou made a low noise in is throat, his eyes sad. "Yeah, I know. Me too. But you know what? I'm going to fix this. I'm going to find us a home, a permanent home. Alright?" He repeated the noise. "I miss them too," I added as the first cars began to make their commute. "But it's better this way. I promise."

The problem was that I was repeating the same thing over and over again. I was trying to convince someone of its truthfulness. I wasn't quite sure who though. No, that was the dependence talking again. This was right. You can't depend on anyone but yourself… and Llewellyn.

_Ignis_

I slowly walked into the center of town, grateful for the cheery sunlight. Llewellyn was still up in the woods, probably pacing nervously. I honestly couldn't blame him, but at least no one was giving me strange looks. Yet. I kept my eyes downcast, having lost my contacts along the way. I guess I didn't look like I had been on the run, because no one said anything. It looked like luck was finally on my side.

"Excuse me," I mumbled when someone brushed past me. I caught sight of an old-fashioned, blue coat out of the corner of my eye, and quickly glanced over my shoulder. Yeah, luck wasn't on my side after all. Captain Harkness was striding down the sidewalk, a small silver device in his hand. I sighed, and kept walking, acting cool and confident.

"Five, four, three, two, one," I counted under my breath, turning the corner and breaking out into a run. If Captain Harkness did indeed have a tracker, it wouldn't take him long to figure out that he had past me. And if he was here, Colonel Peterson probably wasn't far behind. I yanked out the translator, and dropped it on the sidewalk. Self-preservation finally won out over talking with the natives.

I began to cut through people's lawns, taking the most direct route back to my fire lion. I wasn't sure where Captain Harkness was, but I knew he was out of sight, which was good enough for me. I just prayed that no one had caught sight of Lou, and that he was still where I had last seen him.

People yelled and screamed at me in words that I didn't understand, but I didn't pay them any attention. My side was beginning to burn. Not the warm, comforting burn of fire, but the _'Crap, I can't run any farther'_ kind of burn. Those months mostly spent in the Hub had cost me.

The noise must have attracted attention though, because suddenly there were pursuing footsteps chasing me. I didn't look back, just pushed myself to run faster.

"Ignis! Stop! I'm not going to hurt you!" Captain Harkness shouted, speaking in my native language. I tried to shut him out, and suddenly changed direction, running away from where Llewellyn was. I couldn't lead Captain Harkness right to him! I needed to lose him first…

Car horns blared when I cut in front of them, some missing me by mere inches. Captain Harkness was gaining on me. I could hear him getting closer with each breath. And I was tiring, my steps slowing. I tried one last ditch effort to lose him, darting around the corner, and hiding in a nearby alley. But it didn't work. I had trapped myself in a dead end, and Captain Harkness had found me.

I felt flames gathering in the palms of my hands. It would be easy, just shoot a few fireballs at him, and make my escape. It's not like it would kill Captain Harkness or anything. But even so, I let the flames die down. I couldn't. Not to someone who has done nothing but help me.

"Hello Captain Harkness," I said softly, letting my shoulders slump.

"Ignis." I smiled briefly.

"Where's Colonel Peterson?" I asked after a long moment.

"Back at the Hub," he told me, grinning, "I may have ditched him."

"You ditched him? Why?"

"I had the team dig around a little into Ignite's history, and I am telling you the things we found," he whistled, "It's a wonder nobody stepped in." I fidgeted a little. "It's amazing what people had to do just to get a scrap of food," he continued, "And with so many groups trying to get control, each one worse than the last…"

"Assassinations were rampant," I finished, "Yeah, I know. I was there."

"But the problem is… UNIT has representatives from Ignite, and they came here from under their own steam. You said that they had just discovered other solar systems a few decades ago."

"No, _the public_ only found out a few decades ago," I corrected bitterly, "I was as ignorant as the rest of them until I researched a little once I was here. There were fully functioning spaceships while I thought we were completely alone."

"What's your real name?" Captain Harkness asked, and I shrugged.

"Honestly? I've forgotten. Every new administration, I would change my name. Every time I was in a new area, I would change my name. I had to. Ignis, Ember, Tanis, Dura, it doesn't make a difference. Just call me Ignis. It's easier."

"You must be starving," he said suddenly, catching me off guard a little, "Let's go eat! I hear that there's a really amazing bakery nearby." He held out his hand, and I just looked at it hesitantly. "I won't hurt you," he promised me, and I took it. Captain Harkness led me back onto the street, and we left in search of the bakery.

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	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! *waves cheerfully* **

**AHH! We're almost at the end of this! : ( Damn... hehe, I really don't want it to... But maybe 2, 3 chapters left? We're getting close. **

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_7 years ago on the planet Ignite_

I watched as the six red suns streaked across the morning sky, waiting for Pyro to get to the top of the cliff we were climbing. I glanced down at the boy who was practically my twin with an amused smile on my face as he struggled to get up the jagged rock face.

"Need any help?" I called down, laughing at the dirty look he shot me. I sighed and sat down to wait. I closed my eyes as a soft breeze picked up, and when I opened them, I was staring into two bright orange orbs, partially hidden by long, blonde hair.

"See. I did fine," Pyro told me.

"It took you thirty minutes longer than it should have," I pointed out, "But yeah, you did well." I grinned as Pyro beamed at me, and offered me a hand up. But the smile soon faded as I saw sunlight reflect off something metal that was speeding towards the cliff.

"Dura?" Pyro asked me quietly, before turning to see what I was seeing. "Oh no."

"Run. Now!" I shouted, giving him a small push forward. We quickly scrambled down the far side of the cliff, sharp rocks cutting my hands were I had to break my fall a few times. I kept Pyro in front of me, pushing him forwards whenever he started to lag behind. I looked around us desperately for somewhere to go, but there was only wide open desert in front of us. A wail of pain escaped me as a bullet slammed into my shoulder and sent me stumbling. Pyro hesitated for a moment, eyes darting between me and the desert.

"I'll be back for you," he promised before running off and disappearing behind a dune. I squeezed my eyes shut, and let myself be lifted up off the ground. Pyro wouldn't come back for me. You just learn certain things growing up. But that's okay. At least he would be out there, and hopefully he would be safe.

_Ignis_

_Now on Earth_

I tapped my finger on the bench outside of the bakery Captain Harkness had taken me to. He was sitting next to me, a bag of donuts in-between us.

"Who shot you?" he asked, and I worked hard to repress a shudder.

"The same people who would shoot at Lou and me seven years later," I said, staring straight ahead. "The same people who are talking to UNIT, and the same people who run Ignite."

"What happened next?" That time, I did shudder.

"You know when I used to have nightmares?" Captain Harkness nodded. "They were usually about then. Those people… they're the worse monsters you could possibly imagine. Pyro… he joined them. After everything they did, he _joined_ them! Eventually, he became one of the higher ups. I had escaped by then and had found Lou but… I was always terrified that they would find me again and bring me back there. And they did find me. And Pyro gave the order for them to kill me. After everything I did for him, he had them _kill_ me! So what could I do? I killed him, Captain Harkness. I snuck into his room, and shot him in the head. I didn't know that he had been sworn in as President until the next morning."

I sucked in a shaky breath, but refused to glance at Captain Harkness to see his reaction. My eyes felt itchy, and I quickly rubbed them. If I was human, I would probably be crying right now, but I'm not human, so I can't cry. Memories that I had shoved down exploded to the surface, and I closed my eyes to try to get them to stop. But that just made it worse. The images seemed to become more vivid, and tried to suck me inside of them.

_"I'm sorry, Tania, I really am." _

_I just glared up at Pyro, all spiffy in his new, fancy clothing while I was dressed in ripped up clothes I had found in the trash. He sighed._

_"Kill her." _

"If I hand you over to UNIT, they'll kill you, won't they?" Captain Harkness asked, dragging me back to the present.

"Yes."

"And you killed Pyro in self-defense?"

"You could call it that. It won't change anything though. You're going to hand me over, and I'm going to die. I did, after all, assassinate the President, and Colonel Peterson already knows who I am. He'll know if you help me try to escape. And I will not let you and the team get in trouble, or be threatened is any way because of me," I told him stiffly, "Just look after Llewellyn, okay? And make sure Thomas and Rachel are okay."

"Yes ma'am," Captain Harkness said after a long, anxious minute. I nodded.

"Thank you, Captain. I appreciate it."

"Give me a week," he continued, "Give me a week, and I will save your life." I finally turned to look at him. His face was open and honest, eyes pleading for me to give him a chance.

"Do you honestly think I want to die? Of course you have your week! Take as long as you need!" I told him, smiling a little when a grin broke out over his face, "But the second they threaten someone…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said quickly, "But trust me, I won't let it come down to that."

Trust him. I found myself nodding, and heard myself agreeing. I could trust him. I could trust Torchwood. They wouldn't let me down.

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	11. Chapter 11

***waves* Hi. No, I'm not gone, or dead, or anything like that. I was just very lazy, and had no idea what to write. Sorry! And then Monday, I'm gone for a month. But I'm hoping to finish this by then, so hopefully that won't affect you guys! : ) **

**A huge thank you to Emika-Kun and 1945 for the story fav, Emika-Kun for the story alert, 1945, Rachy Babes, and bad2wolf2mcgee for reviewing, and Rachy Babes for the community add! : D (I'm assuming it's you since you're the only one on staff, but if it wasn't, then thank you to whoever did add me! : )) THANK YOU! : D**

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I had started to lead Captain Harkness up to the woods when thick, black smoke lazily drifted towards us. I swallowed down the lump in my throat, and ignored the glance he shot my direction. We began jogging, the smoke getting thicker as sirens wailed close by. The silence was unsettling, like everything living creature had fled. I didn't have that urge. Where there was smoke, there was usually fire. I had the urge to run towards it.

We were running alongside the southern edge of the woods, that black smoke billowing from the northern side. I could dimly make out the crackling of flames, could vaguely feel the blessed heat. If my worry or concern showed on my face, Captain Harkness didn't comment on it. Because although fire was a welcomed thing, and it wouldn't harm Llewellyn, it worried me. There was no such thing as coincidence. Everything happened for a reason. I just hoped that the reason behind the fire wasn't that it was set because someone had found my fire lion. I prayed that my own people hadn't found us.

_Crack!_

I froze, causing Captain Harkness to pause a moment later when he realized that I had stopped. That was different. A snap of a twig underfoot, not the crackling caused by heat. Now that I listened for it, I could hear movement in the trees a couple of yards away, running towards us. A long, easy gait.

"Lou!" I cried just as my fire lion burst free from the tree line. He knocked me over, nuzzling into my neck. I quickly checked for any injuries, frowning slightly when my hand found a shallow gash where his right lung would be. A few inches deeper, and Llewellyn would have died. He whined softly as I probed the clean edges, not finding any dirt or plant material. He hadn't got it while running. Something had attacked him.

"Ignis?" Captain Harkness asked quietly, earning an untrusting growl from Llewellyn. I patted him to let him know that Captain Harkness was okay before standing up.

"We need to go. Now," I told him, scanning the trees, "It looks like you were followed." Captain Harkness' jaw tightened slightly before he nodded.

"We can't take the SUV then. How opposed are you to stealing a car?"

_Ignis_

We made it back to Cardiff without incidence, and Captain Harkness dropped Llewellyn and me off at an abandoned warehouse while he got the team and Rachel and Thomas. The Hub wasn't safe for me or the orphans any longer, not with Colonel Peterson running the show. Personally, I couldn't wait to see the look on that pompous jerk's face after Captain Harkness puts his plan into the action. The plan that he wouldn't tell me about. Which in my experience means that you're either bait, about to be double-crossed, or both. But I said that I would trust him, and against my better judgment, I was going to.

"Why is our life like this?" I asked out loud, not for the first time in my life. Llewellyn looked up at me, and seemed to shrug. I sighed as he got up and dropped his head into my lap. "Do you think that if I say that things will get better enough time, it'll happen? That I'll finally stop breaking promises? Or maybe I should just learn to stop breaking promises I can't keep. What do you think?" I sighed again as a car pulled up. Llewellyn didn't react, so that probably meant that the team was back.

"Ignis!" Captain Harkness called, his voice echoing around the vast space.

"We're still here!" I yelled back. Llewellyn roared, earning a laugh from some of the team. I found myself smiling without really meaning to as they made their way towards me.

_Ignis_

Thomas grinned when his sister ran to give Ignis a hug the moment she saw her. Ignis looked surprised to say the least, but slowly returned the hug before Rachel rushed to throw her arms around Llewellyn the best she could. His attention was drawn back to Ignis when she said something quietly that he couldn't quite understand, and gave a small, embarrassed wave.

"Wait… damn it!" Jack hissed quietly behind him. "Forgot a translator." A translator? Understanding dawned on Thomas as the Torchwood leader quickly said something to Ignis who nodded quickly. Right. A translator. Because she was an alien and didn't speak English. And was apparently wanted for treason among other things. But Jack, Gwen, and Ianto had all assured him that it wasn't what it seemed.

"But Colonel Peterson was very mean! And a liar! You help people! You helped us!" Rachel told Ignis sincerely, unaware of the language barrier. But the alien seemed to get the gist of it, frowning slightly. She asked Jack a question, her red eyes flashing angrily. Wait… red eyes?

"Thomas," Ianto said quietly, drawing the teen's attention. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

_Ignis _

_"What do you mean they're gone!" _

Colonel Peterson took a deep breath before attempting to calm the fuming alien on the other end of the phone line.

"President Animus, I assure you that we'll find them within the week. We almost had her in Grayson. We'll find her again."

_"And what about Torchwood?" _

"Not a factor," Colonel Peterson said confidently, "They will be dealt with accordingly."

_"I hope that you're right."_

The dial tone seemed to mock the colonel as the call was abruptly ended. He could understand the urgency that the President had. Ember… Ignis… whatever her name was… had killed his predecessor in cold blood, and there had been threats that he was next. But still. He knew how to do his job. He just needed a little bit more time.

"Anders," he barked, the private quickly entering was used to be Captain Harkness' office.

"Yes sir?"

"Any findings from the CCTV?"

"No sir, not yet. But we still have the hours leading up to Captain Harkness' disappearance to sort through, and this morning. We'll find something." Colonel Peterson nodded slowly. Yes. They would find something. And then they'll take that irritating alien and her pet to where they belong, and never have to worry about them again. He nodded again. Yes. That sounded nice right about now.

**Review? Please? 1945's massive amount of reviews finally kick started my muse. So basically, reviews are awesome and help me write faster! So please? Review? *puppy dog eyes* **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi! Sorry, this was meant to be yesterday, but real life got in the way. Only one more chapter, and maybe an epilouge left! **

**As always, a big thank you to: 1945, Emika-Kun, and Rachy babes for reviewing! : D**

**WARNING: I was reading Rachy Babes' latest chapter in Lost while I was writing the ending of this chapter. My... feelings towards that chapter _might_ have bled over a little bit. Hehe.**

**Enjoy!**

I didn't understand a word of what Rachel was telling me, but she seemed so bubbly and happy, it didn't really make a difference. I found myself smiling without meaning to, laughing when she did. Llewellyn was curled up around her, purring contently as she ran her fingers through his fur. He glanced over at me, and seemed to plead with his eyes, _'Can we please keep her?'_ I grinned at him as Rachel's voice ran over me.

"She isn't a pet," I whispered. He glared at me, before snuggling in closer. I giggled a little, causing Rachel to beam.

_Ignis_

Colonel Peterson watched the video unimpressed. He had been told that this held a rather interesting conversation between the alien and Captain Harkness. So far though, it was just the two of them watching some movie.

_"Captain Harkness?" she finally asked quietly. _

_"Yeah?" _

_"Thank you. For everything." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. _

_"No problem. Is there a reason why you're saying this?" She was silent for a long minute. _

_"I-"_

The screen faded to black. The two technicians' eyes went huge before the frantically tried to get the video back up.

"What happened?" Colonel Peterson shouted.

_"Just a good old-fashioned memory wipe!" Captain Harkness said cheerfully. _

The colonel glared at the screen as the recording proceeded to tell him that Torchwood business was Torchwood business and to go run back to UNIT with his tail between his legs. Well, that was the polite interpretation.

"Sir… everything's gone. We can't get it back."

_Ignis_

"So I am bait."

"Well… yeah. Kind of," Captain Harkness admitted. I sighed, and looked behind me. Ianto and Gwen were talking to each other quietly as Thomas and Rachel sat next to Llewellyn. The three of them seemed so content. If there was even a chance that I could keep that… but being used as bait would be the price. What if someone messed up? What if Colonel Peterson or UNIT did something we didn't expect? What if Captain Harkness was just going to give me up?

"I'll do it," I told him.

_Ignis_

Colonel Peterson looked at the ringing phone warily. Praying that it wasn't UNIT or President Animus, he answered it on the last ring. A feminine voice came over the line, her words garbled and changed so much that it couldn't be English.

"Translate this! Now!" he ordered.

_"Hello there, Colonel Peterson. It's amazing what you hear about people. But seriously? You're just disgusting. Rachel and Thomas were innocents! They had nothing to do with this! All you had to do was let Torchwood do their jobs! But you had to interfere. You had to wreck the life I was building here. The family I was getting. Fine. I'll play it your way. What happens next is your fault. Now go on and trace this call. I'll be waiting." _

"Sir. We have a location."

_Ignis_

I shifted uneasily, the pier at my back. The nearby bay was giving me a pounding headache, but at least it wasn't raining. For now at least. Dark clouds billowed ominously in the distance. Gods, I hoped that this would be over before the storm it. I don't think I had felt so alone since I had first crashed through the Rift. Llewellyn wasn't by my side. He was hiding with the rest of them team. I had tried vainly to get him to stay with Thomas and Rachel, but he outright refused. I wasn't sure where Thomas and Rachel were, only that they were safe. I wasn't sure where the team and Llewellyn were, only that they were close by. I wasn't sure about where the enemy was, only that they were coming. I wasn't sure if I would live through this. But Gods, I hoped so.

A line of black cars rounded the corner as police officers escorted everyone from the area. I think I might have seen Andy, Gwen's cop friend, but I wasn't sure. I took a deep breath, and smile brightly as Colonel Peterson exited the first car.

"Long time no see!" I greeted cheerfully, giving a little wave. He couldn't understand me, but took what I said as something insulting. His face turned an interesting shade of red before he got a hold of himself.

I didn't hear the shot until the bullet had already ripped through me. I didn't feel the pain until I was already on the ground, my black blood spilling onto the ground. I didn't hear my fire lion roar. I didn't see him burst from wherever he was hiding. But I saw him stand over me protectively, daring anyone to come closer. But I heard the second gunshot. I might as well have felt the pain as it ripped through my fire lion. I screamed furiously as he wailed in agony.

"CAPTAIN!"

He didn't come.

***decides to follow Rachy Babes' plan of action and hides* **

***Rachel skips over* **

**Review please?**


	13. Chapter 13

***waves shyly* Hi there. Umm... yeah. I'm just going to move along. **

**Thank you to 1945, Emika-Kum, and Rachy Babes (don't you dare kill him!) for reviewing! **

**Enjoy!**

I looked at the hole in Llewellyn's should for a long moment, making sure it wasn't immediately fatal. My stomach was killing me, a burning pain that I didn't like, or want to bask in. I glared at Colonel Peterson for a long moment as a hand slowly reached down for my gun. He was talking, probably gloating, but I honestly didn't care what he was saying. My gun felt sure and stable in my hand as I quickly drew it, and shot the colonel twice. Once in the stomach, once in the shoulder. I watched with grim satisfaction as he dropped, and braced myself for another bullet to slam into me. But it didn't come.

Instead, I heard clapping, and brought my eyes towards the back of the caravan. Llewellyn growled as a tall man with orange hair and eyes slowly walked forward. He couldn't have been a couple of years older than me, but something had changed him. Something had made him colder.

"Nicely done," he told me as I slowly stood up, using Llewellyn for support.

"Thanks," I spat out, my speech a little broken and jumbled.

"President Animus," he introduced grandly, "I'm here to make sure you die for your crimes." I just laughed, trying to stall for time. Where the hell was Captain Harkness?

"Good luck with that." President Animus smiled slightly, and I immediately distrusted it.

"I don't need luck if I have leverage." I watched silent as car doors opened, and Thomas and Rachel were dragged out, unconscious and bound. I raised my gun level with the President' head.

"Does UNIT know about this?" I asked quietly, "Using innocents as bait? I thought that was below us."

"Obviously you were wrong," he told me, "Now. Come with us quietly, and we won't kill them. Do we have a deal?" I felt Llewellyn tense under my hand, and quickly patted him to try to stop him from pouncing.

"Or…" I trailed, "Let them go, and I won't shoot you in the head." He just grinned, and nodded.

"Swim, little girl," the one holding Rachel taunted, "Swim!"

_"Run, little girl. Run!"_

"No!" I screamed as he threw Rachel over the side of the dock.

_"Run, little girl. Run!"_

I did.

I dove in the moment Rachel hit the water. A really stupid mistake, but in that split second, all I could see was her smiling, laughing face, and I jumped. I don't think President Animus expected that. I don't think I expected that.

The water seemed to freeze my skin, and I clamped my mouth close so I wouldn't scream. Rachel was lazily drifting downward, just out of reach, no matter how hard I tried to reach her. My vision was going dark around the edges, my movements getting slower, weaker. My eyes were getting so heavy, it took more strength to keep the open then to keep swimming.

But my hand managed to find her. My grip around her arm tightened as I pulled her up towards where the surface should be at the same time she pulled me further down. We were sinking, and I finally opened my mouth to scream. The bubbles rushed skyward, towards the brilliant sun and the black clouds. Water flooded in, choking me, freezing me. My thoughts, which had been so muddled, were suddenly crystal-clear. I was dying. I was going to die.

The hand holding Rachel's arm loosened, and fell away as I finally closed my eyes. It was peaceful after I looked beyond the lessening pain. Peaceful. Safe. Almost happy. Then, the darkness overwhelmed me for the last time.

_Ignis_

Captain Jack Harkness dove in after her the moment he could. UNIT had overwhelmed them the moment Llewellyn had burst out to protect his fallen friend. There was reasonably nothing he could have done. Reasonably. But he still should have seen the possibility. Still should have made sure there was no way whatsoever to get to Thomas and Rachel. Still should have checked for a sniper. Still should have thought of a different plan.

Bubbles rushed past him, almost invisible in the steam that clouded the water. He heard a second person jump in behind him, but didn't turn to look. Jack could just make out Rachel's small body, and with two more strokes had reached her, and started to tug her up. But Gwen stopped him, motioning for him to keep swimming, before bringing the girl up to the surface herself. He nodded, and threw himself downward, trying to see in the rapidly dissipating steam.

His lungs were getting tighter and tighter, asking rather politely for some more oxygen, you dumbass. But Jack could almost see Ignis' unmoving form, a shadow among shadows. The light, the glow, the fire and life that she always seemed to have in her was gone, leaving her looking human. Vulnerable. Long moments later, they were at the surface.

Jack greedily gulped in the air, careful to make sure Ignis' head was above water. But it just leaned against his neck, unresponsive, passive, and cold. Colder then he would think was possible. Even when she was caught in the rain, Ignis was burning hot to the touch. Now she skin felt like ice. Her chest didn't move. Her lungs didn't try to take in oxygen. Her heart didn't beat.

"No," Jack whispered to himself, quickly bringing them to shore. "You're not dead. Not yet."

Llewellyn, who had been watching the efforts anxiously, ran over to the two of them, regardless of the bullet wound in his shoulder. But the moment he could clearly see his fallen friend, he stopped dead. Jack couldn't remember a time when he had heard such an agonizing, heartbreaking wail. The fire lion slowly crept over, even as Jack tried CPR, and gently touched his nose against Ignis' forehead. He wailed again, before looking at Jack, and growling. Llewellyn wouldn't let anyone near her body for hours as he kept a silent vigil. But as night fell, he let the Torchwood team approach.

_Ignis _

Gwen cried as she filled out the final logout for Ignis. After she was finished, she was going to pay her last respects before Jack froze Ignis forever. She couldn't help but think it as cruel. Here was a life form that lived on fire, and for the rest of eternity, she would be frozen in ice.

She watched Thomas and Rachel leave the morgue out of the corner of her eye. Rachel had lived, and physically would be fine. They had found the two of them a home that they knew would take care of the two orphans. And Llewellyn was coming with them. Gwen had no idea how Jack had managed that, but it seemed to make both Rachel and the fire lion a little bit happier. Gwen would never forget how the first thing Rachel did was ask where Ignis was. Thomas had saved the day. He told her that she had to go back to Heaven with the other angels, but that she would be watching over them. Rachel seemed to accept that.

Colonel Peterson had died from his wounds two days later in the hospital, due to infection. President Animus and the rest of the representatives had fled. Jack had said that he would put in a call to help the people on Ignite out. Gwen didn't doubt for a moment that he would call the Doctor. And hopefully he would do something.

She hit the enter key, and watched the screen zoom away. She knew that there was no afterlife. The world just went dark. But for a moment, she could swear that the Hub had gotten a little warmer.

**Ummm... will it help if I say I have an alternate ending planned and will be posted? Or that I have a prequel/sequel in mind if people want that? Maybe? **

**Rachy Babes. Don't you dare. **

**Review please!**


	14. Announcement

**Hi! Hello! Ello! Hi. **

**Okay, so I'm REALLY sorry for the delay! Writer's block and lack of access to a computer is not fun. And I know I promised an alternate ending, and again I'm really sorry. My muse just isn't cooperating with that. BUT! I have a sequel called Saving Flames which will be up momentarily. It follows our very won Captain Jack Harkness on a portion of his adventures after CoE. So, please check it out if you're interested! : ) **

**And thank you to everyone who has followed or reviewed or read this story. It honestly means the world to me. : )**


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